The Un-Friendly IKEA in Israel

Finally. IKEA is charging customers for those gigantic plastic bags that no one really needs except for the moments when we wheel our stuff from the curb to the car and then haul it up the stairs. But not in Israel. Here the 5 cent charge doesn't and won't apply to IKEA Israel shoppers no matter how good are IKEA's intentions or PR campaigns. We reckon that the Israeli marketing advisors said no dice over charging for the bags. And that's exactly what we found when we read this Globes story. Shlomo Gabay, the GM for the company said, "The company's policy in Israel is to provide the plastic bags as a customer service at no charge. IKEA does many things for the environment. Our contributions are not made at the customer's expense, but through our insistence on using recyclable materials. We're also careful to work with organizations that reflect a policy of protecting the environment, and when we want to give money, we know how to do it quietly." Okay folks — Israelis plastic bag everything. Once the bags are used, they are tossed, sent to the landfill or blow into the sea. But if IKEA Israel believes they can be recycled, then more power to the company. Mr. Gabay — care to let concerned TreeHuggers everywhere know how this is possible when no nation-wide recycling program exists in Israel? ::Globes

Finally. IKEA is charging customers for those gigantic plastic bags that no one really needs except for the moments when we wheel our stuff from the curb to the car and then haul it up the stairs. But not in Israel. Here the 5 cent charge doesn't and